INFLUENCE OF PULP PULSATION ON THE BATCH FLOTATION OF GALENA

An experimental investigation into the effect of pulp pulsation on the flotation of an artificial mixture of galena and quartz has been conducted. Laboratory experiments have shown that the recovery and kinetics of lead flotation can be improved significantly by pulsating the pulp, while the grade and selectivity of the lead remained virtually unchanged. Pulsation of the pulp led to structural change of bubbles. An increase in the number of bubbles and a decrease in the bubble size resulted in an increase in the gas holdup in the pulp and a likely increase in the bubble-particle collision rate. Likewise, the viscosity of the slurry could be decreased by means of pulp vibration, enhancing mass transfer between the slurry phase and froth phase. At the same time, the energy input by pulp pulsation could help to lower the energy barrier for bubble-particle attachment by lowering the induction time of the attachment. In addition, non-selectively attached particles could be stripped off the bubble surface by the inertial forces acting on the particles during pulsation of the pulp. Image analysis of the froth showed that pulsation resulted in a more stable froth, with more numerous, smaller bubbles with higher loadings.